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January 31, 2008 - Volume XVIII - Issue 5 - Dexter

Friends and family reminisce about the good times with Tyler Steffey page 4 of The Squall

High School - 2200 N. Parker Road - Dexter, Mi 48130

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Freerice.com is the new Facebook See page 3 of the Rostrum

High school fails to meet AYP Brittany Martini staff writer

For the 2006-2007 school year, Dexter High School did not make Adequate Yearly Progress, resulting in a “B” on its school report card.

This was the first year the school failed to meet the standards of the AYP report.

Based on federal requirements under the No Child Left Behind legislation, every school in the state of Michigan receives a school report card.

The report card gives the school a grade based on multiple areas. One large portion of the report

card is the AYP report.

The AYP report applies to every school district and high school in the state. The report is based on the scores of the Michigan Merit Exam (MME) and the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP).

If a school doesn’t score high enough on the exam, then they do not make Adequate Yearly Progress, lowering their grade on their school report card.

According to Dexter High School Principal Kit Moran, part of the NCLB act says when a child enters ninth grade, they have to reach certain standards formed by the state to graduate in four years.

“No Child Left Behind is a good concept,” Moran said. “But to bring all kids to a certain level of education by the time they graduate something is hard to accomplish.”

Moran said Michigan mandates the education level of all schools’ students by having them take standardized tests such as the MME and MEAP. These tests are not only something for the state to compare schools by, but also to contemplate whether the school district is making their yearly progress requirements.

AYP doesn’t just take the average score of the school’s exam, however. The state looks at Continued on page 2

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AYP cont. from pg. 1 the score of both primary groups and subgroups within the school.

“A subgroup at DHS (a group of special education students) did not finish the entire test,” Moran said. “This is what lowered our scores, but there was nothing we could do about it because when a students finishes the test, it is closed and sent to be graded.”

The failure to meet the AYP standards on the MME by this subgroup, was enough to cause Dexter High School to not make Adequate Yearly Progress for 2007.

Dexter was not the only high school in the area to not make Adequate Yearly Progress.

The other schools in the area to not meet AYP include Hu-

ron, Pioneer, Tecumseh, Willow Run, Howell and Milan.

High schools in the area that made AYP this year include Chelsea, Ida, Pinckney and Plymouth.

“AYP is something that is placed in our annual report,” Moran said. “Just look at everything else in there, and you will see that Dexter High School is a great school with so many other good things about it.”

This Annual Report Moran refers to shows ACT results for Dexter High School are higher than the state and national averages.

ACT scores have also been steadily increasing over the past five years, showing that the school continues to improve its ACT scores even though it doesn’t show Adequate Yearly Prog-

Shirk announces retirement Shantal Daratony staff writer

Superintendent Evelynn Shirk announced her retirement on Dec. 17, 2008. Shirk, who started her career in education as a teacher in Indianapolis, ended up spending 15 years in Dexter.

Teaching in middle school and high school classrooms, Shirk said she gained a lot of knowledge and experience from teaching and has enjoyed her involvement with Dexter Community Schools.

“Each position I held was my favorite at the time,” she said. “The first year I came to Dexter, I was a half time Careers teacher and a half time assistant principal. This was challenging, but the next year I became the principal of Mill Creek.”

Through all of her different jobs at Dexter, she held her longest position as the Mill Creek principal.

“I enjoyed being at Mill Creek because I loved the kids,” she said. “Sometimes they were kids, and sometimes they were adults, but at all times they provided the reason for being there and trying to make Mill Creek a great place.”

Shirk said she loved the time she spent at Mill Creek, but after 11 years she was ready for a new position. That is when she found her current job as superintendent.

“The job of superintendent is always challenging,” she said. ”These last four years have been rewarding in that we held the course during some difficult times, and the staff has always risen to the challenge of providing the best education possible.”

So after 15 years at Dexter and 35 years in education, she said she is ready to retire, effective June 30.

“My husband retired two years ago, and it is time for me to do the same,” she said. “I have one grandson and another grandchild on the way. I want to be able to help whenever there is a need. I also have another daughter and son-in-law who live in San Diego, and I want to be able to see them more than once or

twice a year,” she said. “We anticipate keeping our home in Michigan but will spend our winters in Ft. Myers, FL.” Principal Kit Moran said he is glad he received the opportunity to work with Shirk.

“She is a great superintendent,” Moran said. “She works really hard at the politics of the job and even harder at getting to know the students. One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that she hands out ‘Good Job’ notes to the kids in the community. If she sees any Dexter student in the newspaper, she writes them a congratulations note. I think that is very special because I don’t know of any other superintendent that does that.”

Moran also said he has been influenced by her and is grateful she lets him do his job.

“She has always treated me with respect and allows me to keep my style as a principal,” he said.

“She is always supportive of my decisions and how I handle things, which makes my job easier and more comfortable.”

Mill Creek Principal Jamie Bronson has worked with Shirk for 15 years, and she said she considers Shirk a mentor and a friend. “I was fortunate to be an assistant principal under her last year as principal before she became superintendent,” Bronson said.

“And lastly I was fortunate to serve as an administrator under her leadership as superintendent.”

Bronson also said she has learned a lot from Shirk.

“She is a true motivator through her work ethic and dedication to staff and students,” she said. She has been an exceptional educational leader constantly looking for ways to improve through best practices and finding the resources to make things happen.”

Bronson also said Shirk is a special person and Dexter is going to be hurt by her retirement.

“Dexter is facing a huge loss in Ms. Shirk leaving, but we have gained so much from her endless giving to the Dexter school system,” Bronson said. “She has moved the Dexter school system ahead in more ways than most will ever realize.”

Cartoon by Marcia Grace

ress.

“Now we are going to focus on what we can do instead of what we should have done,” Moran said. “We plan to tests kids over three half days instead of two whole days, and this year we are going to really emphasize the importance of the test before the students take it.”

According to Moran, making small changes like these should help the standardized test scores, and it should bring DHS, coming closer to making yearly progress.

“Dexter is a truly great school, one of the best in the state,” Moran said. “And the AYP report really doesn’t worry me because I know that there are so many good things about Dexter.”

Excerpts from Shirk’s resignation letter: • “I started teaching at Southport High School in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1972 as a business education teacher. Since that time, I have taught in ten schools in five different school districts.”

• “Thanks to all the custodians, maintenance, and buildings and grounds personnel. The classrooms look terrific because of the pride each person takes in creating an outstanding environment in which kids can learn.”

• “Thanks to the teachers and support personnel (counselors, special education teachers, para educators) who are top notch. They are the most hardworking and dedicated group of people with whom I have ever worked.”

• “Thanks to Paul Mobbs and Aileen Kernohan. They provide very specific services and play a vital role in creating a safe and caring school environment for students and staff.”

• “Thanks to all the coaches. What other school in the state can boast of state championships in boys cross country, boys soccer, girls golf, and boys track -- all in one year? Congratulations and thanks for so many wholesome hours of entertainment!”

• “I would be remiss not to thank all the volunteers. Whether the job is helping out in the classroom, raising funds for specific initiatives, or providing labor for various tasks, it is all greatly appreciated!”

• “It has been a pleasure to be a part of Dexter Community Schools, but after 35 years in education, it is time to join my husband in retirement. We have children and grandchildren to visit in California and Germany.”

• “The Dexter Board of Education has always placed students first in their decision making. Dexter is in good hands under your leadership.”

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news BRIEFS

Funds raised for Steffey

photo illustration by Chas Sloan

District considers selling naming rights Patrick Ledwidge staff writer

The board of education is considering allowing businesses and individuals to buy naming rights to various buildings and areas within the district.

According to Principal Kit Moran, a big part of the reason for considering this proposal is financial, although, it’s only being discussed at this point.

“Since school funding stinks, districts are doing any thing to get money,” Moran said. “I don’t think the district has made a decision. I haven’t had a major conversation about that.”

One example of possible locations where naming rights could be purchased are various athletic fields, according to Moran.

“It’s very much like buying ads for newspaper or yearbook,” he said.

Because of the lack of state funding to Michigan schools, any thing the district can do to bring in revenue is imperative he added.

Athletic Director John Robinson knows this proposal isn’t going any where fast. “I think at this point, it is just being considered and nothing is going to happen quickly,” Robinson said. “I’m sure that very specific guidelines will have to be established to determine who or what a field would be named after.”

Superintendent Evelyn Shirk says the project is only in its proposal phase. “The Board of Education Policy Committee members are reviewing principles that will guide the development of a fundraising and donor recognition policy for Dexter Community Schools,” she said.

The board of education does have draft policies regarding naming rights in a document titled “DSC Fundraising and Donor Recognition Principles,” which describes naming rights as a way to “increase revenue in order to maintain or improve programs and infrastructure.”

This document also states, “DCS will advertise to the extent necessary to increase

the probability of fundraising success.” And that, “naming rights should be applied in a consistent manner across all donors.”

Also according to the document, corporate names are not permitted to be applied to Dexter Community School property, but family names can be used.

According to Robinson, the purpose of allowing naming rights is tied to corporate sponsorship.

“A company will pay the district a significant amount of money over an established period of time to have the facility named after them,” Robinson said.

He also said that the money is used to develop and maintain our facilities which can be a “win” situation for all.

And according to Shirk, the board of education is still seeking input on this type of sponsorship.

She said, “To date, the Board has not made final approval of these principles. The Policy Committee is still seeking input from other schools and from community members.”

Weekend bus transportation cut Olivia Scheffler staff writer

Beginning this school year, the district is not funding weekend bus transportation with the exception of post-season athletic tournaments.

Assistant Superintendent Mary Marshall said the change is part of a costcutting measure for the district. According to Marshall, a committee called CORSE (Committee On Revenue Growth and Saving Cost for Education) studied the expenses and practices of the transportation department to look for cost saving opportunities and came up with the idea.

“There were several CORSE committees related to different programs and operations within the district, and transportation was one of them,” Marshall said.

Marshall also said the district estimates it will save around $22,100 by eliminating weekend bus transportation.

According to Principal Kit Moran, it costs an average of $300 every time a bus is loaded to go somewhere.

“If we can eliminate $300 times 36 weekends a year, we can save a lot of money,” he said.

However, just because the transportation department isn’t funding the trips does not mean teams and other clubs can’t get where they need to go.

According to Marshall, buses can still travel if teams or parents fund the trips.

She said another alternative is having parents carpool to weekend events.

“We would like to maximize opportunities for students to participate in a variety of events, so having this restriction puts some limits on that desire,” Marshall said.

However, seniors Sean Killian and Bret Marsh both say buses not running on weekends is a problem for their sports teams. Kilian is on the swim team and even though the swimmers only have about three to four weekend away meets per season, he says it is still hard to organize carpooling for all the guys.

“It has been hard because due to this policy,” he said. “I am not allowed to drive myself or teammates to away meets, so carpooling is our only option right now.”

Kilian also said although a few students were angry about the rule earlier, they have realized it does not affect them as much as other teams like the wrestling team.

Marsh is on the varsity wrestling team, and he and his teammates have many weekend meets throughout their season. He said the rule affects the team a lot, and they have to carpool with parents as well, but he doesn’t mind.

“Now I ride with my coach and a couple friends to away meets so we can talk and have more freedom than if we ride a bus,” Marsh said. “However, I think problems could come up with the change, especially if someone gets into an accident.”

The new bus change does have a large affect on teacher Debora Marsh’s debate and forensics teams though. The teams used to go to tournaments three times a month. Marsh said this doesn’t happen anymore.

“This change has made our ability to attend tournaments a lot harder,” she said. “Carpooling is difficult because it is hard to find parents to drive on Friday nights and Saturday mornings and evenings.”

Marsh, no relation to Bret, said she thinks if the district wants to offer programs like debate and forensics, they shouldn’t make policies that negatively affect those programs.

So while people have expressed concern about the new policy, Marshall said she thinks parents understand the district is trying to make cutbacks in areas that have minimal impact on the classroom.

Moran agrees and said even though he doesn’t like the change as a principal, he understands the committee’s decision.

“When we have had something in the past and now we don’t, it is a pain,” he said. “There are still some problems with this change, but we are trying to work on where it is necessary to make the changes.”

Tyler Steffey and his father Mike Steffey were very involved in little league baseball, so juniors Shelbi Polidori and Tricia Humitz are selling orange bracelets for $2 with Tyler’s name and “92-07” written on them.

Also on Jan. 30 from 5-8p.m. the Big Boy on Jackson Rd. will host a fundraising dinner for the Tyler Steffey fund. Ten percent of all the profit, raised during this time will go towards this fund( as well as 100 percent of the tips ), which his parents have decided will be used to build little league fields, behind the Peace Lutheran Church on Jackson Rd. “The rapid growth of Little League made the need for more ball fields apparent,” said Larry Courson, the Pastor at Peace Lutheran church. The church and the local little league has been planning for ball diamonds since 2005 when the little league began to grow more rapidly.

The church has already received zoning approval for the fields from Scio Township and the only issue was funding.

The fields will be named after Tyler. Peace Lutheran Pastor Larry Courson said, “This will be a lasting memorial that will honor Tyler and provide the opportunity for more youth in our community to play baseball and softball.”

(For more information on Ty, see page four)

Union holds unity vote The Dexter Education Association, the teacher’s union, took a vote before the holiday break regarding the recent contract dispute in Willow Run. The vote was taken to decide whether the teachers at DHS would take steps toward a strike in case the Willow Run teachers did.

Technology teacher Joe Romeo, president of the Dexter Education Association, said showing support was really what the vote was about. “Willow Run has been in a tough spot for a long time, and when someone is down like that, sometimes just showing you care is the best thing,” Romeo said. However, he said he doesn’t believe a strike was ever likely. “Strikes are never good things, and I don’t see a situation where Dexter would be forced to have one,” he said.

Presidents of several other local school district unions went to Willow Run’s Board of Education meeting before winter break and voiced their opinions.

According to Romeo, the visit likely played a role in the tentative contract agreement that was eventually reached by the Willow Run teacher’s union. Romeo said, “It is reasonable to assume that our meeting helped the teachers and their goal, and that’s a very good thing.”

Students make All-state band Three students were recently accepted into the All-State Band/Orchestra. Juniors Angelo Quail and Mitchell Clark, along with sophomore Allison Paciorka made the cut after their tryouts early last November.

Band director Ken Moore said he was pleased with his student’s accomplishments. “I am very proud because I know each one of them are hard workers,” he said.

After the students completed their audition material, Moore said they went to Saline to audition and record their music.

The auditions tested the band members, as each one was required to play scales and music they had never seen before. It was the second year of All-State Band for Clark and Quail, however Paciorka tried out for All-State orchestra last year but didn’t make the cut.

Clark plays the trombone and Quail the clarinet, both of which are band instruments. However, Paciorka plays the flute which is a part of the orchestra.

Moore said, “I hope more students will continue to try for the honor of All-State. It’s exceptional to have three students, but I am confident we can get a few more.”

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Remembering Tyler: son, brother and friend Katie Johnson features editor

The door to Tyler Steffey’s room is open. The “I love 311” sticker is still on his door, his guitar still sits in the corner of the room, his Metallica poster still hangs above his bed, his room is still covered in ever y thing Michigan and his pictures of Dexter football and baseball litter the wall.

One picture particularly stands out. It is him at a Dexter basketball game on toga night. A Dexter football blanket is folded on the foot of his bed, and a maroon football lies in the center.

A lthough the room is familiar, it seems still and quiet, frozen in time. His sister Gina laughs as she says it’s the cleanest she’s ever seen it.

Gina and her mom, Deanna Steffey, sit at the kitchen table, searching for memories of Tyler, and Mrs. Steffey laughs as she says, “When the kids were little, Mike (her husband) and I played softball, and there were two playing fields back to back.” She pauses to mimic the set-up of the field then continues.

“We were on one field and had to bring Ty w ith us. I think he was two at the time. The game next to us kept getting stopped and Ty was over there and kept interrupting the game because he was running the bases. He kept getting away from the lady watching him.”

She looks at Gina and they both start laughing. “Tyler used to always call me ‘Sissy,’” Gina says. “We have these Christmas videos we used to watch ever y Christmas Eve. I remember the one concert he was in pre-school.”

She starts laughing and her mom stops shuff ling around the kitchen, points to Gina and says, “Oh, I remember that one.”

“So, they were all singing and we zoomed in on him,” Gina says. She begins laughing uncontrollably and mimics hitting her forehead. “Whenever he messed up, he used to hit his forehead,” she laughed.

Mrs. Steffey joins in the laughter. “And in another one he was prancing around w ith other kids. He had to wear donkey ears and had to go, ‘Eeeh ooo,’ that was so funny.”

The laughter subsides and Gina says, “I remember after one of my Christmas concerts he was running up and yelling, ‘Hey sissy!’ He was so cute when he was little.”

Mrs. Steffey walks off into another part of the kitchen and Gina begins telling stories of her and Tyler when they were little. “I remember one time we were playing house, and I was the mom, and I left to go get groceries, and I locked the playhouse,” she says. She soon begins to grin. “He cried because he couldn’t get out.”

Mrs. Steffey comes back to the table and stands by Gina and begins talking about one of Tyler’s particular football practices in eighth grade. “He got f luorescent pink bands on his braces and went to football practice,” she says. “They started calling him ‘Lipstick’ and from then on that was his nickname.

When he came out to the car (after getting the bands), he said, ‘Look what color I got!’ and I said, ‘Are you serious?’”

She then turns to Gina and says, “Remember that time he wore your pink shirt and pink pants to math class?” Gina laughs and nods her head.

“He was such a sore loser,” Gina says. “We would play games, and he would be losing so bad, he would throw down

his money and give up,” she says as she laughs.

“And he would get excited about the weirdest things,” she continues. “He would like get a movie and watch it 24/7.”

She pauses as if tr ying to remember something. “The last one was ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.’ ‘Super Troopers’ was another one ... he loved that movie.”

Gina then starts to smile and says, “He would always come sit on me. He would do that almost ever y day.” She seems annoyed, but it is apparent that now, looking back, it seems goof y. “He’d say, ‘How was your day ... What’d you do?”

Mrs. Steffey begins to laugh and looks amused. “Oh yeah, that’s all it took.”

The stor y soon reminds Mrs. Steffey of Tyler’s love of food.

“You could just not eat his leftovers,” she stresses. “And if his friends came over and spent the night, I had to make a massive breakfast. I think I did it only once,” she laughs.

Mrs. Steffey wanders out of the kitchen and Gina plays with the plastic cup in front of her then drums her fingers on the table as if searching for another stor y. “We played together all the time after school when we were little,” she says. “He played Barbies with me all the time.”

She begins to giggle and it soon turns into laughter. “I have a feeling he’s really mad at me for saying this, but we played with Barbies a lot. He tried to dress them, but I’d give him the ugly Barbie with one leg. One day he got mad at me and he took some Barbies outside and rubbed them in the mud.”

Mrs. Steffey comes back into the kitchen carr ying a photo album of Gina and Tyler when they were little that Gina requested she get. Mrs. Steffey opens it and points to a picture of Tyler dressed as an M&M, standing in a line of other kids in Halloween costumes, grinning at the camera. “Isn’t he cute?” she says as she places her finger on the picture. She points at another picture of Tyler and a friend sleeping in the back seat of the car leaning on one another after a camping trip.

Gina begins f lipping pages in the book, landing on ones filled with the kids in Halloween costumes. She points at a picture and says to her mom, “Remember that time in Utah and the guys in the leaves?” Gina’s mom grins and nods her head as if encouraging Gina to tell the stor y.

“I was like in first grade, and Tyler was in kindergarten,” she says. “We were really hardcore about trick-or-treating.

We had big buckets that we would carr y around. We got to this one house and there was a pile of leaves by the door. Someone was buried in the leaves and jumped up,” she says, throwing her hands in the air. “Ty screamed so hard.”

She and her mom burst out in laughter. “Oh I remember that,” her mom says. “It was when that scream mask was popular. That was so mean!”

Gina starts laughing again. “Ty did not like any thing scar y,” Gina says. “We watched ‘Sleepy Hollow’ once, and he couldn’t sleep for a week.

“Aw w, I didn’t know that,” Mrs. Steffey chimes in. Gina continues laughing and talking of how scared Tyler used to get. “I remember Erin (Donevan) spent the night and Tyler decided to watch a scar y movie with us. Someone knocked on the door and Tyler went, ‘A hhh!’” she says as she throws her hands up.

Mrs. Steffey nods her head and agrees. “That was hilarious. Then there was one time we went to this haunted house

thing. It was Tate (Sanders), Tyler, Gina and me,” she says.

“It was really cheesy, and they chased us with a chainsaw and Gina, Tyler and Tate were so scared, and I just stood back and laughed. It was so funny.”

The two continue to f lip through the photo album and Gina says, “And then I remember my birthday party and Tyler, Tate, you and me went to Target, and I was pissed ‘cause it was my birthday,” she says, jokingly glaring at her mom. “Ty was like, ‘Let’s go to Chuckie Cheese!’” He came back with all these tickets and was like, ‘Look at all my tickets!’, and I was so angr y. And then we got in the car and went to Outback for dinner, and I was so mad, I thought it was so lame,” she laughs.

“Then he gave me this cheap bracelet with his tickets.”

“Aw, that was so nice,” Mrs. Steffey says. “See, Gina, he was always doing those things for you.”

Gina smiles but rolls her eyes as she thinks of something.

“And we had to get Reggie for Tyler,” she says, pointing to their big orange cat in the living room.

“Oh, and then there was the wiener dog ... Margaret,” Mrs. Steffey says and the two start laughing. “Ty was four and he wanted a wiener dog so bad, and he wanted to name it Margaret. But then we thought that our cat needed a playmate, and he said he wanted the biggest orange cat,” she says, stretching out her arms.

“He said he wanted to make it really fat,” Gina says, stressing the word. “He wanted to give her a crown and call her ‘The Duchess.’”

Gina looks at other pictures of her and Tyler at a lake and reminisces about a particular time when she was having a bad day.

“Tyler came over to me in the living room and said, ‘I just want you to feel better.’”

There is a long pause and Gina continues to look at the photo album and points at a picture of her and Tyler at a family friend’s house. “I decided to do the six o’clock news. I was tr ying to be really professional, but Tyler kept coming in and singing, ‘Do de do de do.’”

“And he was obsessed with mousse. Look at this picture,” Mrs. Steffey says, pointing to Tyler f lexing his muscles with his hair gelled.

Gina starts laughing when she looks at the picture. “One time we were in the basement and decided to play ‘Egy pt,’” she says. “He was our slave, and we called him Puggly Wufelgus.”

She begins to giggle at the name.

Mrs. Steffey points to another picture of Tyler. He is immersed in the snow, with only his head peeking out. “Ever y time it snowed, he made snow caves in the front yard,” she says.

“Oh, and here he played for the junior Wolverines,” she says, pointing to a picture of Tyler in a blue and yellow uniform. “They used to make them do bear crawls, and all the boys used to cr y. He was so proud because he was the first to stop cr ying.”

The two then become silent. Mrs. Steffey leaves the kitchen, but Gina stays seated. “He was just happy and sassy,” she says with a smile. “But, he loved to make ever yone happy and feel good and he was nice to almost ever yone.” She pauses. “I like talking about him.”

Tyler at 11 months old

Gina Steffey at 12 years old, Tyler at 11

Tyler at 12 years old Photos courtesy of Steffey Family

Friends Alex Krull, Tate Sanders and Mike Szymusiak remember a beloved friend

Alex Krull I will always remember Tyler as a laid back, funny kid.

Ty was never in a bad mood and always could cheer me up when I was down.

What I’m going to miss the most is not being able to play ball with him anymore. Tyler was a great athlete not only at baseball but football too.

I remember a few years ago at a tournament when we were losing and our team was upset, but there was Ty, saying or doing the dumbest things to cheer us up. I’m going to miss him not being on the field this year. Rest in peace Ty. My season is for you.

Mike Szymusiak Not everyone can play the game of football. It takes things that only certain people have inside of them.

Of those select few there are

only a handful who are able to play offensive line.

To be one of the big uglies, you have to be smart, disciplined, hard working, extremely unselfish and you need to be a little bit insane. Ty was all of these things. He knew he wasn’t playing a glory position, but he didn’t care.

He never made anything about himself, on or off the field. Anyone who ever played with him knows there is nobody who you would rather go to battle with.

When he stepped onto that field for a game, he went from the fun-loving, goofy kid that he was the other 356 days a year to a hard-nosed offensive guard who would do anything to win.

Everyone knew that and could always trust him to get his job done.

Anyone who ever played with him, whether it was on the Dexter Dodgers in third grade or the varsity football team, knows what an unbelievable teammate he was. There are only a few people who can really appreciate the teammate we’ve lost.

But anyone who has ever met him, or even seen him, can appreciate the person we’ve lost.

Someone who never held a grudge in his entire life and who was always smiling.

Tyler, out of all the things that I remember about you, your smile is the one that sticks out the most. It was always there, no matter what was going on.

Thank you for just being you every day and sharing that smile with us. It will never fade.

Tate Sanders Tyler Michael Steffey.

You were my brother. You were my family. You were the one guy I could always come to when I was having trouble.

I can’t even begin to count the ways you have changed my life and the lives of those around me, and for that I am forever thankful.

But now that I have that out of the way, I gotta remember all those crazy times together. Every moment with you was a blast

so I don’t really think that I can pick one, but I can definitely remember one that sticks out.

Sixth grade. It was my birthday and my mom took me to pick up you and your mom. We fell asleep in the car and woke at the same time, realizing we were on the highway. Finally you asked where we were going, and we got the best news of the day.

We were going to Cedar Point.

When we finally arrived, we knew exactly which rides we were going on in what order, because, of course, we spent those two hours planning the day.

The Magnum, The Mantis, your personal favorite, The Gemini, and the grand finale, The Millennium Force. I had to spend the entire day convincing you to ride it with me, and when we finally strapped in you were ready to roll ... until we got to going up that hill.

“I hate you Tate! Why did you make me do this!” Personally I couldn’t stop laughing.

Once we got to the end though, you were even happier we had done it, so, of course, we had to do it again.

That’s just the way you were though, and I loved you for it, I’ll always remember you, Ty, and I’ll help take care of the second family for you.

5

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Squall

feature

Use of confederate flag raises issues of race Hunter Lyons Sports editor

On April 9, 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army at Appomattox Court House to the Union keeping the states united.

It has been more than a 140 years since this happened, yet there are web sites and support groups for the Confederacy all over the Internet.

And though the Confederate states were all in the south, some of their supporters seem to have migrated to Michigan.

In the DHS parking lot, for example, a number of vehicles sport Confederate flag stickers. But what do these stickers mean to the people who wave them on their vehicle?

To senior Deke Glahn, the flag he sports on the back of his truck doesn’t actually mean anything. “My brother put it on my truck,” Glahn said. “I don’t really know why.”

But to some, the flag is more than that. It’s a symbol of racism. The Confederacy represents a support for slavery, according to Diversity Club president, Sarah Burch. And when she sees a Confederate flag in the parking lot at DHS, it does offend her.

“What I’ve been taught is that it’s a sign of hate,” Burch said. “I also find it rude. It’s a symbol that the

North should have lost and that we should still have slavery.”

And Dean of Students Ken Koenig agrees with Burch.

“It’s freedom of speech,” Koenig said. “You can do or say anything you want, but you have to be willing to be accept consequences of those actions.”

Though the flag is often looked down upon, Koenig and Burch both agree that for some, the confederate flag is just a sign of pride for the south.

“I have a friend from the South, and I’ve seen that it’s not always seen as a bad thing but as being proud of where you come from.” Burch said.

Koenig agrees. “South Carolina had it fly over their capital for many years,” he said. “To some people, it just means having pride for where you come from or you’re a fan of ‘Dukes of Hazard.’”

But whether you see the Confederate flag as a sign of pride or showing support for your favorite 70s cop comedy, many people still view the flag in a negative light, especially in the North.

“I believe that people flying the flag in the North shows ignorance.” Koenig said.

Glahn, who says he is not racist and does not support slavery, says he knows where people are coming from. “I don’t think it represents anything negative,” Glahn said. “But I see where people would think that.”

Advanced Video makes students happy

photo by Lauren Daugherty

Editing film: Senior Arik Cunningham works on the computer in Matt Martello’s Advanced Video Production class. Martello’s class produces the weekly video among other projects.

As he walks into his second class, senior TJ Fenske has a lot to think about. He’s thinking of who he’s going to add to his films, what his films are going to be about and how he’s going to go about filming them, all related to his Advanced Video class, his favorite class of the day.

“Junior year I took Intro. to Media Literacy, which teaches you about media history and how it has affected American society throughout the years,” Fenske said. “We also learned different types of camera shots and a lot of video editing.”

Media Literacy is the foundation class for Advanced Video production, where students take the information they learned and apply it to Advanced Video. In order to take Advanced Video, students must have taken Media Literacy and have at least a “B-” in the class.

“I really enjoy acting and making movies so that’s really what made me want to take Advanced Video,” Fenske said. “I like it more because it’s more independent work and a lot more freedom than Media Lit. It’s more project based, so we pick what we want to do and just get the OK for it.”

This past semester Fenske worked on a public service announcement encouraging students to come to the varsity soccer game. “We did the announcements through the weekly video, he said. “It was a lot of fun and quick and easy to accomplish.

But according to Video Pro-

duction and Speech teacher Matt Martello, those are not the only projects students do. “Students do silent films where there’s no dialogue that takes place, independent films in which students create their own video, and turn them in at the end of the semester, and the weekly video.”

Most students are familiar with the weekly video, which is broadcast almost every Friday.

Fenske said this project is meant to be entertaining to the student body. “There meant to bring laughter into classrooms every Friday during second hour and lighten up the school day a little bit,” he said.

Weekly videos are Fenske’s favorite project for the class. “We have a lot of fun with them,” he said. “My favorite episode was the one in which we did a reality cut, where each one if us would get eliminated for one reason or another.”

To make the videos, Fenske said students in the class get into groups and brainstorm together for ideas, then Martello gives them a script of a scene and students take that and find ways to make it fit and flow throughout the video.

However according to Martello, weekly videos haven’t recently been airing. “They have kind of fallen off the radar, since there are many technical problems in the school,” he said. “It’s very frustrating, but hopefully by this next semester the technical staff will help us get things working again.”

That won’t be the only new change occurring next semester either. “We will be having two Advanced Video class, instead of one, a class first hour and another during second hour,” Martello said. “One class will focus on the weekly video, while the other class focuses more on projects.”

And Fenske said having two classes is a positive change. “It will allow more students to learn about video making more in depth,” he said. Not only that, but he also said there will be more class members to get help from, and he said communication skills between both classes will increase.

While there haven’t been weekly videos lately, Fenske’s spirit for the class is still up regardless.

“I really liked doing them, but in a sense we have more time for our other projects,” he said.

One of these other projects is the independent video project.

But Fenske wouldn’t say what his film is about. “It’s a secret, he said with a smile. “So, I can’t really give you the scoop on it.”

Fenske said he has grown to enjoy his second hour, and while he said he won’t be taking video production to the next level for college, he still thinks what he learned will someday come into use in some form or another.

He said, “Advanced Video is different every day. You never know if you’ll be editing a video, filming something or making a storyboard, but I know something for sure. I’ll always be having a great time in the class.”

6

Thursday, January 31, 2008

health

The Squall

Photo illustrated by: Nora Green

Walking through days after sleepless nights Students experience insomnia due to high school stress Alexis Sobczak staff writer

Junior Mike McCarthy, like many high school students, juggles homework, athletics and a social life. By the end of the day, you’d think he would be tired. But that isn’t the case.

McCarthy said he suffers from insomnia and has a hard time falling asleep. “I just keep thinking, ‘Wait, maybe I forgot to do this. No, I did it,’ but I can’t get things out of my head,” he said.

Sleep problems plague many teens across the nation. According to the Chelsea Hospital Health Advantage, the four most common sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy.

Insomnia causes its sufferers to have trouble falling or staying asleep. Insomniacs feel tired all day because of the poor sleep they get at night.

According to CHHA, sleep apnea is caused in two ways. Some sufferers experience an obstruction of their airways, and others have a brain problem that causes them to forget to breathe.

Either way, people suffering from sleep apnea wake up a few hundred times a night to restart breathing. The sufferers don’t know that they are waking up, but they feel tired during the day because of it.

Restless leg syndrome causes its sufferers to feel crawling or tingling sensations in their legs. People with restless leg syndrome have the urge to get up and move around, even when all they want to do is sleep. RLS, as it is commonly called, can be

All About Behcet’s •The disease tends to develop in people in their 20s or 30s, but people of all ages can develop it.

•Behçet’s disease is most common in the Middle East, Asia and Japan.

•Behçet’s disease is an autoimmune disease that results from damage to blood vessels throughout the body, particularly veins.

•Behcet’s is a chronic disease that recurs. However, patients may have periods of time when symptoms go away temporarily.

•The four most common symptoms are mouth sores, genital sores, inflammation inside of the eye and skin problems.

•Although there is no cure for Behçet’s disease, people usually can control symptoms with proper medication, rest, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

•Behçet’s disease is not contagious; it is not spread from one person to another.

•Behcet’s disease has the ability to involve blood vessels of nearly all sizes and types, ranging from small arteries to large ones and involving veins as well as arteries.

SOURCE: American Behcet’s Disease Association

Keeping a moderate temperature in the room where you are extremely annoying to its sufferers.

Falling asleep at any time during the day, even during physi- sleeping and getting regular exercise during the day can also cal activity, is the main characteristic of narcolepsy. Narcolep- help to create a more restful night of sleep. “(I first had trouble sleeping) at the beginning of high tics fall asleep suddenly and at random times. Sleeping during school,” McCarthy said, adding that his sleep the day makes narcoleptics have restless problems are sometimes better after a break in sleep at night. school when he is able to get stress-free sleep.

All of these disorders can be treated. It His sleep problems are sometimes worse on is important to make sure that the correct Sleep is just as impormore stressful nights when he has a lot of homediagnosis is made and the patient gets the tant to your health as work and a particularly busy schedule. treatment that they need. good nutrition and And McCarthy seems to think his sleep probNearby, sleep studies are conducted at exercise-which makes a lems are directly related to stress with school Chelsea Hospital in the Sleep Lab. Sleep sleep disorder a major and homework.

Lab rooms look like hotel rooms, and concern.”

When he tries to calm down, he said thoughts people who wish to have a study done can of all of the things he needs to do keep coming spend the night there.

- Dr. Mark Garwood, into his head. “I just have to stay up until I fall A patient’s sleep is monitored, and the sleep physician asleep,” he said. “I just have to say, ‘Forget it. results taken from the studies are reportScrew it. I can’ t do anything about it now.’” ed to their doctor. The doctor is then Although he has suffered sleep trouble for able to analyze the results from the lab, correctly diagnose the disorder, and prescribe a treatment for the past few years, McCarthy hasn’t visited a doctor about his insomnia. the patient.

That might not be a good idea according to Garwood who Dr. Mark Garwood, a sleep physician said in a CHHA publication, “Sleep is just as important to your health as good nu- said treatment can be a helpful option for sufferers of sleep distrition and exercise--which makes a sleep disorder a genuine orders.

He said, “Many people live for years with a sleep disorder, health concern.”

Some suggestions for getting better sleep according to CHHA thinking it will just go away, or that it’s related to stress. Someinvolve avoiding caffeine, smoking, alcohol and large meals be- times this is true, but often it is a condition that requires--and responds well to--medical treatment.” fore bed.

“

Stoddard suffers from rare disease Emily VanDusen staff writer

Winter often brings a case of the sniffles or a small cold, but winter break 2006 gave junior Tim Stoddard something a little beyond seasonal sickness. His chest was giving him pain, and ulcers formed around his mouth.

His symptoms were eventually recognized as those of a rare autoimmune disorder known as Behcet’s Disease.

Stoddard’s condition confused doctors at first. “The doctors said to take some medicine, but it got worse and worse,” he said. “I got so many ulcers that I couldn’t swallow.”

After a couple days with no food or drink, Stoddard went to Mott’s Children’s Hospital ,where he was hooked up to an IV so that he could get the nutrients that he Making it through: had been unable to ingest.

Stoddard says While he was there, he said doctors did with medication all sorts of tests but couldn’t figure out what his daily routine it was that was giving him mouth and chest is fairly normal. pains.

This could be because there isn’t a specific test to confirm the disease. Only when other diseases with similar symptoms are ruled out, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can doctors then turn to the possibility of Bechet’s Disease.

Even then, the diagnosis is often retrospective because it may take months or years for all of the symptoms to appear.

During the year following his stay at Mott’s, Stoddard said he went to a bunch of specialists who said a bunch of different things.

“One dermatologist even thought it was herpes,” he said. “But the medication he put me on did not work, and when he gave me a blood test, I tested completely negative.

Finally, Stoddard saw Dr. Craig, who was the first one to suggest

to Stoddard he might have Behcet’s disease. He was hesitant to act on it however, because Behcet’s is so rare, especially in th eUnited States.

“When it got really bad again, I went to the hospital. This time, Dr. Craig told me not to go to Mott’s, because they didn’t figure it out the first time.” Stoddard said.

This time he went to the Children’s Hospital of Detroit, where they supported Dr. Craig’s suggestion of Behcet’s. However, also like Dr. Craig, they were hesitant to act and didn’t give him medicine.

At first, this proved to be a mistake.

“Two weeks later it got so bad that the ulcers bled,” Stoddard said. “Then one night during this year’s winter break, I woke up and my mouth was healed.”

Stoddard’s mouth ulcers are one of the many examples of how Behcet’s Disease attacks the body.

According to The American Behcet’s Disease Association (ABDA) web site, “Under normal conditions, the immune system protects the body from diseases and infections by killing harmful ‘foreign’ substances, such as germs, that enter the body.

In an autoimmune reaction, the immune system mistakenly attacks and harms the body’s own tissues.”

The most common tissues that Behcet’s is known to attack are the mouth, the eyes, the skin, lungs, joints, and the brain.

Being a genetic disease and non-contagious, Behcet’s is hard to pinpoint, especially for Stoddard, who says he doesn’t know a lot of his family.

There is no cure for Behcet’s disease, so treatment usually centers on avoiding serious complications and reducing the symptoms. and often includes rest and exercise.

“I have to take a lot of medication every day,” Stoddard said.

“And I give myself a shot once a week.”

Although this may fold a slight wrinkle into Stoddard’s life, he said his daily routine remains fairly normal.

Most patients of Behcet’s lead normal lives, and Stoddard said he is one of them, saying his life remains normal as he continues to find easier ways of dealing with his condition.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Squall

2

Movies

4

3

Superbad

Judd Apatow

Juno

Eastern Promises

Jason Reitman

David Cronenberg

5 6 Zodiac

David Fincher

1. KNOCKED UP

Judd Apatow Although the year was ripe with great drama, no movie was quoted more than this one. Here is proof that movies can be vulgar and hilarious while still having something to say.

7

Alpha Dog

No Country For Old Men

Nick Cassavetes

Joel and Ethan Coen

9 10

8 Blades of Glory Josh Gordon

The Darjeeling Limited

Sicko

Michael Moore

Wes Anderson

The Best of 2007 Singles 1.“Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex” CSS Possibly the weirdest pop song written in the past decade, although “U = Ur Hand” might be a

1

as chosen by Ryan Aliapoulios entertainment editor

Albums

Reality TV

“A Shot of Love with Tila Tequila”-

2 3 4 5

“I Love New York 2”

This show single-handedly redefined how far the depths of televised depravity could go, and still not be censored. On top of the sexual stuff (which is the majority of the material), the show also seems to almost promote alcoholism, so you know it’s a winner

“Rock of Love”

close second. Brazilian

“Life of Ryan”

club-rock group CSS scored a crossover hit here with pulsing guitar

“Run’s House”

and downright awkward lyrics. You know you’re on top of your game when you make it onto

YouTube Videos

John Mayer 3. “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...)

Jay-Z The Pack

Republic

In this decade where CD releases

rarely

splashes,

West’s

make third

album created a tidal wave

fueled

by

hype

that it somehow lived up to.

Airy and refreshing,

‘Graduation’ warmest

was rap

the album

released this year by far.

2 4

Pearl the Landlady

Chocolate Rain

3 5

is alive and well here, and

‘Graduation’

has

some of his best work.

“Stepped outside, smoked a bag of meth.”

Queens of the Stone

It’s movies like these that YouTube was obviously made for.

4. “In My Car”

Timbaland feat. One

Kanye West

The Unforgivable Series

1

2. “Gravity”

5. “Apologize”

1. “Graduation”

West’s production style

an iPod commercial.

7

arts

The Miss South Carolina Q&A Video

The Austin Winkle Series

2. “Era Vulgaris” Age 3. “In Rainbows” Radiohead 4. “American Gangster” Jay-Z 5. “Neon Bible” The Arcade Fire

8

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Squall

sports

Students prefer smallercolleges for sports Morgan Quist staff writer

Although people may think that Division 3 schools are not as prestigious or impressive as larger universities when it comes to athletics, senior TJ Fenske believes he will definitely benefit from attending a smaller school in both athletics and academics.

Fenske said if he were good enough to play basketball for a bigger school such as Michigan or Michigan State he would. He said, however, he will not be disappointed playing basketball for a smaller school in the fall.

Fenske has looked at Mount Union College, Denison and Whitenberg Colleges, all in Ohio.

Fenske said his favorite of the three was Mount Union, because it was more preppy and had a feel similar to the University of Michigan’s campus.

“The only difference (between bigger universities and smaller schools’ athletics) is that the competition is higher in basketball (in the bigger schools),” Fenske said. “(At a smaller school) I will get more playing time and the same education, if not better.”

photo by Dennis Fasbinder

Swimming to the finish: Senior Kim Melinsky swims her way to the finish line using the backstroke during practice. Melinsky is considering smaller colleges since she says they offer greater support to student athletes.

“The opportunity to play is greater at a small school,” athletic director John Robinson said. “The large schools recruit and give scholarships to the players they want. The athlete does not necessarily get to choose a large school, (the school) chooses the athlete.”

According to Robinson, only about 1 percent of all high school athletes actually receive a scholarship to play college sports.

“Usually athletes that go to a small school go because they want to play for the pure enjoyment of playing,” Robinson said. “The athletes that go to these smaller schools do not receive athletic scholarships.”

Fenske also said he is not worried about the education he’ll get at smaller school, either.

“The downside is that it’s harder to find your major at a smaller school,” he said.

“But at a smaller school, I’ll get to know my professors better thanks to smaller class sizes.

The campuses at (Mount Union, Denison and Whitenberg) are all small, and I think that might make it that much less stressful.”

Robinson agrees and said class sizes are much smaller at smaller schools, and as a student, you receive more individual attention from the instructors.

Even though Fenske said finding his major at a smaller school would normally be hard, he said Mount Union had the one for him, Sports Management.

“Overall, I feel I will benefit from a smaller college,” he said. “I’ll know more of (the specifics) and have more instruction on a more personal level.”

Fenske said he thinks he will benefit as a player in this manner, too, receiving more personal instruction from coaches, who have fewer players to take care of and coach.

Fenske said although the coach at one of the schools was more laid-back, the coaching styles between larger schools and smaller schools, he felt, are all the same.

When senior Kim Melinsky visited her sister, Ally, a sophomore on the swim team at Marshall University, she knew she too wanted to continue to be on a smaller team like Marshall’s.

“I knew I wanted to swim,” she said.

“I wanted to be part of that kind of atmosphere (again) and be part of a team.”

Melinsky said she looked into a few small colleges, including Carthage (Wisc.), Clark (Mass.), and Olivet.

Melinsky said she looked into these small colleges because although she wanted to go to a school focused on academics, she still wanted to be part of a team and have immediate support away from home.

“I liked the support that the smaller schools offered,” she said. “Bigger schools teams get scholarship money and are more competitive, while small schools weren’t as intense and had mostly walkon athletes.”

“Coaches at small schools recognize that their athletes are there for the love of the game, just like they are,” Robinson said. “Money and the pressure to win is not nearly as strong.”

Melinsky said she liked that the smaller schools’ teams were more personal and less demanding than bigger colleges.

“Smaller schools took more initiative to recruit and (look into) people,” she said.

“I got tons of e-mails from the smaller schools asking if I wanted to swim and asking me if I needed financial help or grants. Bigger schools just called (and said they were interested) with no followup.”

photo and photo illustration

by Valentino Argiero

could be cut from bond Nic Miller staff writer

Earlier this month the board of education approved a revised $50 million bond renewal proposal. The proposal was consolidated from a $60 million proposal in hopes of appealing to all voters according to Principal Kit Moran.

The bond is essentially a loan paid back over a certain amount of time by assessing a tax on residents and will be voted on Tuesday, May 6.

The proposal still needs to be approved by the state treasury department, but unfortunately for students, fans, coaches and athletes, sports took a hit.

And this has some backers of district athletics upset. But according to Moran, the board of education tried to reconfigure the bond in order to appeal to all the tax payers of Dexter.

“I would rather pass a bond with a few things in it that we want than not have it pass at all,” Moran said. “Voters are more likely to vote for things that will directly impact their education or their child’s education.”

In other words, according to Moran, voters are more willing to pay taxes for things that will directly

impact the classroom instead of spending money on school is very challenging and I certainly respect the athletics.

The vote in May will ask tax payers for an extension efforts of our school board,” Cindy Glahn, President of an already-existing loan, but before the bond can of the Athletic Booster Club of Dexter said. “Having said that, I hope that the school board took into be voted on it must be approved by the state.

“There is a law and limit dollar figure (to a bond). consideration the benefits academically and socially that sports has to offer and Everything that we want cannot how athletics and all extra fit. You have to take some things curricular activities enrich a out to make other things fit,” child’s experience in school.”

Moran said. “Most communities “There is a lot of But members of the board are not worried about the amount politics involved. say the cuts were necessary of money but instead there We need the bond to create a proposal that question is, ‘Do you need this to to pass. would actually pass in May, improve student’s education?’ especially with the stagnant There is a lot of politics involved.

Michigan economy.

We need the bond to pass. We - Kit Moran, A list of priorities in need some new things, and we Principal the revised bond includes need to known what voters will approximately $6 million for vote for in order for this bond to buses, $4 million for energy pass.” efficiency, $3.6 million The original bond was about $60 million, and most of the $10 million cut was for safety and security, more than $10 million for related to sports. Needless to say, the supporters of technology and $470,000 for the senior center.

Although a large amount of money allotted Dexter athletics who showed up at the two feedback meetings were unhappy to see their needs get the ax. to sports has been cut, there is still some money “The job of balancing a budget and the needs of our committed to it. If the bond passes the Wylie pool

Yearbooks on sale Come to room 407 for details

“

Nichols, Sacks, Slanks, Sendelbach & Buiteweg Attorneys at Law (734) 994-3000

will be renovated for a cost of approximately $2.3 million, bleachers at Creekside and Wylie will be replaced, new toilet facilities will be built at Al Ritt Field. In addition improvements will be made to the baseball park, soccer field, tennis court, and softball field at DHS, and the press box at Al Ritt Field will be replaced.

Also the locker room area at DHS will be reconfigured so that multiple events can be held during the same period, and the weight room flooring at DHS will be replaced. As for dollar amounts, if the bond is approved, Bates will get $1.58 million, Cornerstone will receive $2.12 million and Creekside will receive $5.4 million.

And Superintendent Evelyn Shirk said while she understands some community members are upset by some of the cuts, she said the final request is a fair one. “We were trying to create a balanced bond proposal that met the needs of all constituents,” Shirk said. “The information that we received from a survey conducted by EPIC-MRA (a polling company that surveyed local residents about the bond) did indicate that the support needed to pass the bond was questionable if all the athletic components remained as they were originally presented.”

9

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Squall Charlie Pettit

sports Swim team looks for 11 straight SEC titles

Sports editor

Kaitlyn Shepard Staff Writer

New England Patriots go for a perfect season Coming into this NFL season, I knew the New England Patriots were going to be a really good team, but they surprised me with the best season in football history.

The Patriots boasted a 16-0 record during the regular season and show no signs of slowing down for their playoff opponents. Even with the controversy that surrounded Coach Bill Bellichick and the organization for allegedly spying on rival team’s play calling, the team was able to fight through all the negativity and continue to dominate the competition week in and week out.

Former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss carried the team by nearly breaking every offensive record with ease. Brady threw an all-time record 50 touchdown passes, and Moss was there to catch most of them.

In the final game the duo’s dominance was blatantly clear with Moss dropping a 70- yard pass and on the very next snap scoring an 80-yard touchdown, untouched.

The undeniable offense was quickly matched with a solid defense. Veterans Teddy Bruschi, Junior Seau and Rodney Harrison lead the Patriot’s defense with a lot of knowledge and experience, giving them the edge on younger offenses. I don’t see any team beating the Patriots offense and defense in the same game, so you can definitely expect a fourth championship in six years from the dynasty.

A team this talented is too easy to be a fan of, but even easier for me to hate because of how good the Patriots really are. It looks like the new New York Yankees have emerged in the NFL, and they are sticking around for awhile.

Even though the 1972 Miami Dolphins were the first team to go undefeated in the regular season, they complimented their record with a Superbowl, and this is the factor that will eventually determine the success of this year’s Patriots.

Just think about it. I know I will be disappointed if a team who manhandled everyone all season somehow loses in their biggest test.

The only hope left for the NFL is the New York Giants.

Eli Manning has a lot to prove facing Tom Brady’s perfect team in Superbowl XLII, and if there is a quarterback who can dethrone the Patriots, I wouldn’t put my money on the youngest Manning. The way I see it, if the Patriots do end up winning the Superbowl, we are all very lucky to have witnessed possibly the best TEAM in all of sports history in action.

But if they fold under pressure and can’t pull it off, we are all very lucky at the same time because an underdog came from virtually nowhere to beat a team the media constantly talked about since August. A coup d’etat of the league’s golden boy would make a great post-game story.

I’m pretty excited to see how the Patriot’s season pans out in the end, but I hope this year’s Superbowl is not a blowout and the Giants can create an entertaining game for all of us to watch.

Brady’s last playoff performance against the San Diego Chargers was his second worst playoff game in his short, yet storied career. He threw three interceptions with his sore right foot.

The Patriots came out on top once again 21-12, with no signs of being human. The victory was Brady’s 100th win, making him the fastest quarterback ever to 100 wins.

The Patriots drained the final nine minutes and thirteen seconds with one of the longest possessions I’ve seen with a mixture of short passes and carries by Lawrence Maroney.

Brady claims he will have to be on a stretcher to miss the Superbowl, so this time off is going to be vital to the health of his ankle. The Giants are known for their good pass rushing as well.

New England’s Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney will have to be on their toes in order to preserve Brady’s right foot, and if they fail, we might see a new world champion emerge.

The only way that I can see the Giants beating the Patriots, though, is if Michael Strahan and his defense apply so much pressure on Brady that they immobilize his right foot and force him to leave the pocket to find Moss.

Belichick and his coordinators have probably already figured this is the only way they will fall and don’t be too shocked if you see extra protection surrounding Brady throughout the entire game.

On the Monday morning after the holiday break, sleepy students came into school. Not much has changed while the students were away enjoying their winter break, except the hair of the mens swimming and diving team.

Senior Scott Dyer, for example, walked down the hallway ignoring the stares and whispers that followed in the wake of his newly-dyed blonde hair.

While the rest of the school was off and sleeping in late, he and the rest of the swim team were going to practice and, dying their hair blonde.

According to Dyer, almost every year for the last 10 years everyone on the swim team has dyed their hair blonde at the beginning of the season.

“Swimming isn’t a lot of fun,” Dyer said. “Dying our hair is just one way we make it fun. We have to shave it off anyway, so why not ruin it first?”

The 1998 mens swimming and diving team started more traditions than just dying their hair. They were also respon-

sible for starting the 10-year tradition of getting SEC titles.

And Dyer said this kind of tradition puts a lot of pressure on the team to be just as good, if not better every year. It also causes them to set high goals for themselves every season.

“This year we want to have more people qualify for states,” Dyer said. “And, of course, we want to bring home the 10th straight SEC title.”

With such high season goals the swim team has a very proactive plan to achieving their goals.

“We’re going to work as hard as we can,” Dyer said. “We’re also going to do everything in our power to achieve our goals this season.”

However, the athletes are not the only people feeling pressured from the teams outstanding record.

Coach Michael McHugh said this kind of tradition puts pressure on him especially.

“There’s a lot of pressure to keep the tradition going,” McHugh said. “The first eight were done for me so it’s very difficult trying to keep the tradition going.”

Many of the swimmers on the team

have been swimming since before they were in middle school. McHugh says this is a major reason behind their success.

“A lot of the success comes for the younger programs,” McHugh said. “Over all we have a lot of really talented kids in the area who are willing to come in and work hard.”

The mens swim team has many consistent supporters. These supporters include everyone from swim parents and coaches to Athletic Director John Robinson.

“It’s at a point where they are almost expected to bring home the title,” Robinson said. “However we still do the best we can so show our support for these boys.”

Too often, teams will begin winning traditions like this, and in following years, they fail to bring home the gold. However this year’s swim team is confident that they well win SECs once again.

“We will get the title,” Dyer said. “Tecumseh is pretty good, but in the end, we’re just better than them. Losing is not an option for us.”

Photo by Chas Sloan

Swimmer success: Senior Matt Cambridge swims the butterfly stroke in a dual meet vs. Adrian on Jan. 11. The Dreadnaughts won the meet.

Freshman gains valuable playing experience Kevin Yarows staff writer

When freshman Dave LaMore steps on to the court, he looks down on everyone, literally. Standing six feet, six inches, tall he’s the tallest player on the JV basketball team but also the youngest.

As an eighth grader LaMore only attended one varsity game and hadn’t even met varsity coach Randy Swoverland until the summer after.

But coming into this season he maintained high goals for himself.

“My goal coming in to the season was to make varsity,” LaMore said. His goal was achieved when, after tryouts, he was notified he had indeed made varsity, becoming the first freshmen in the Swoverland era to ever make the mens varsity team immediately after tryouts.

Swoverland said the decision to put LaMore on varsity was a combination of skill and timing. Swoverland said the team was in need of a post player and LaMore was the best available.

Even after making varsity

LaMore maintained high expectations for himself. “I was happy I achieved my goal, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t start slacking off,” he said.

And LaMore played with the varsity team for their first four games of the season. After the first game Swoverland and LaMore mutually decided it would be better for his development as a player for him to play on the JV team.

The idea is for him to get more minutes and get the ball in his hand with and opportunity to score. Swoverland said he and LaMore meet once a week to evaluate how the week went and what LaMore needs to do to improve.

“He has a very good work ethic,” Swoverland said. “He works on his weaknesses and tries to become more effective” Being so tall, LaMore is the only player on the JV team who can dunk. He has yet to dunk in an actual game, though it is one of his goals for the season.

LaMore is joined on the JV team with fellow freshman Matt Muchmore. They have been playing together since

fourth grade and LaMore said they have a feel for how each other plays.

“I definitely think we have developed a connection on the court. I know the way he plays and can expect where he’ll be,” LaMore said.

While disappointed that he was moved down to JV, LaMore was recently moved back up to varsity.

And Swoverland said, “He has a love for the game that is unlike many others.”

Freshman excels: David LaMore is the first freshman to be on the mens varsity basketball team since Randy Swoverland has been coaching.

He was moved to the JV team but was recently moved back to varsity.

photo illistration by Candice Wiesner

10

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Squall

columns

Epic battles to ponder

David Pisano opinions editor

There are a lot of things that would be great to watch, but will probably never happen. Pigs f lying. The Patriots losing this year’s Super Bowl by 30 points. The school’s drinking fountains dispensing Hi-C. Another thing you won’t see very often: people who either don’t exist, aren’t actually fighters or normally don’t have a problem with each other duking it out in a cagematch. This got me to thinking. Here are some intriguing match ups. Jackie Chan vs. Bruce Lee Two of the great martial arts actors of all time go head to head.

I’m going to have to give Lee the edge in this one, though, because I think Jackie Chan is more of an actor than a fighter. “Rush Hour” is still a great movie, though.

Chuck Norris vs. Jack Bauer vs. Rambo Three men of epic proportions duke it out in the Octagon. Only one of them is a real person, but they are all real men. I think Bauer has yet to prove himself as being in the same category of

The Cartoon

manliness as the other two. He would be the first one out, leaving a close fight between the other two.

I picture this one going into the later rounds, with Norris winning by decision because, let’s face it, there won’t be any knocking out of Rambo.

Chuck Norris, Jack Bauer and Rambo vs. Osama Bin Laden No surprises here. Three against one never sounded like a fair fight, but I think most would agree this is an exception. Bauer has a way with catching terrorists. Rambo is intense and possibly insane. Norris is, well, Chuck Norris. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Bin Laden wouldn’t stand a chance.

The 2008 Presidential candidates This battle royale could be held in place of the election. There would be three fighters from each party, and the winning party would have a second event featuring those three, the winner being awarded the office of presidency.

The Democrats would feature Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards against Republicans Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani.

At first the men will all try to figure out how to deal with Clinton, because they don’t want to hit a woman. It won’t be long, however, before Giuliani sucker punches her from behind, taking her out of the match.

He probably won’t last much longer though; I say he is second to get knocked out. Romney and Edwards would be next, leaving Huckabee and Obama as the final two.

I think Obama will use his size to take care of Huckabee, getting the win for the Democrats. Clinton will still not be physically able to fight in the second match and Edwards will respectfully decline to participate, leaving Obama as the President.

The Dexter High School faculty The winner of this epic battle would receive the classroom of their choosing, a premium reserved parking spot, a raise and five planning hours. I would expect to see a strong showing from the math department as well as English, but look for some sleepers in science.

Some key participants to watch out for include science teacher David Callaghan, who I believe is a sleeping giant just waiting to be awoken.

Math teacher Jason Miller has good strength and a great beard but lacks experience.

English teachers Jo Muzkiewicz and Deb Marsh are at the top of the list of females, but they’ll have a tough time with physical education teacher Angie Scott.

If this were last year, Ken Koenig would be a top contender, but he seems to have softened up a bit since becoming the Dean of Students.

Although there would definitely be some great match-ups in this one, I think the winner would be clear: science teacher Richard Grannis.

Sure, he may have taught some of the people he’s up against, but I don’t see anyone who can take him out or would even want to try.

By David Bays

Heather Siller news editor

Lead by example

cident felt a sense of loss. It’s hard for a teenager to feel like they can relate to anyone else, let alone 1200 of their peers. But students turned to each other for support, and maybe for once, ever yone had something in common: grief.

I was impressed w ith the student’s and staff ’s reaction, but I wonder if better precautions could have been taken initially.

The three students in the accident were allowed to Michelle Chirby leave school for a class errand. Though the policy on leavcopy editor ing campus is vague, it had been done successfully before, and no one expected the tragic results they got.

But according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safet y, 16-19 year old drivers are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. In my mind, three young boys in one car on icy roads seems likely to lead to disaster.

Like most students, I’m confused about the policy of students leav ing school w ith other passengers during the school day. Principal K it Moran said the district is being ver y careful until the policy is updated.

On Dec. 13, Moran sent a letter notif y ing the staff that students are not permitted to leave the building for school A s one of more than 1200 Dreadnaughts, I’ve never felt purposes until the current policy has been rev iewed.

That’s not to say a student should never be able to leave like this school was smaller than I did on that Tuesday in campus during the school day, howDecember. Losing one student made it seem ever. The goal of high school is to as if half of the school was missing. prepare students for the “big, bad Silence took over as classrooms seemed real world.” There is no better way empt y w ithout their usual chatter. A nd Students turned to learn than experience. passing time felt like it was in slow moA nd Moran said educational option. to each other for portunities w ill be presented outComplete strangers exchanged empasupport, and maybe side of this building, and students thetic glances, and orange blurred my v ifor one, everyone should take advantage of them. The sion throughout the next week’s school days had something in staff wants us to learn in the best and spor ting events. common: grief env ironment possible, but they also I don’t think I’ve ever watched so many want to keep us safe. big guys hug as acquaintances, buddies No one is ever to blame for an acand teammates buried their heads into - Michelle Chirby cident, but know ing that risks rise each other’s jerseys. Things were quiet and w ith the number of teenage passenrough, but I was pleased to see my peers gers, I hope the district can form more cautious policies pulling each other through the grief.

The school took good care of its students, too. Counsel- while still allow ing us freedom.

This school is a safe place. Teachers and staff look out ors from the district lined the lunch room, and teachers were sure to stock up on K leenex. Staf f members opened for their students, and we’ve proven that we can take care their doors to students, and coaches gave athletes down of each other here. Though it was powerful for me to see the school unite, it’s sad to think that it took a tragedy time to cope.

K ids who didn’t even know the boys involved in the ac- such as death to bring us together.

Tragedy brings us together, exposes flaws in policy

“

In the classroom most teachers do a good job of making students feel equal. These teachers show us, by example, how to respect others.

By not treating students as insolent children who don’t know their own mind, they encourage students not to be disrespectful toward the curriculum.

Students learn best when good examples of mutual respect are shown between student and teacher. No student wants to learn from someone who treats them as an inferior being.

Ironically, those teachers who treat their students as second class citizens are the same teachers who complain about student behavior.

These teachers make their students feel inferior therefore provoking students to act in a manner to live up to the teacher’s bad opinion of them.

Fortunately for us, most teachers at DHS have set a tone of mutual respect between teacher and student. A relationship which will benefit the student later in life when they deal with authority figures.

However it is in the administration and para-professionals where I have found the most cause to complain about a lack of mutual respect.

The relationship between administrator, para-professional and student is a tense one.

Some, but not all, administrators seem to think it is their duty to keep students in line, as if students are some form of second-class citizens, who do not know their own minds and must be dealt with harshly, sparing no one who causes offense to the rules of the school.

Observing a para-professional literally sprint down a corridor after someone wearing a hat during passing time and being the subject of an assistant principal’s glare for wearing a pair of headphones in the corridor has brought me to this conclusion.

Often I wonder what administrators would to if students committed real offenses such as selling drugs or bringing weapons to school.

However, the administration seems to think students do both. With Deputy Paul Mobbs at the school to watch out for any gangs or drug rings that could pop up, and dogs brought in to sniff lockers and cars for any possible drug dealers attending the school, it is no wonder students feel defensive.

Students are going to be distrustful toward an administration which constantly suspecting the student population of being a mob of 1200 strong who are all part of gangs and dealing drugs.

Consequently, the school shelters students from any outside interference which could give them rebellious ideas. No headphones, hoods or hats in the corridors or at lunch.

And anyone who deals in one of these three offenses is punished for their offense by being treated as a child instead of one who is on the cusp of adulthood.

It seems an asinine complaint, but these are privileges that are denied to us. For what reason have these small privileges been taken away? Is the student body to be oppressed so strictly and looked down upon for reasons which are not told to us?

It is discourteous to behave as if we can not cope with wearing certain harmless articles during passing time or in the lunch room. How are we supposed to prepare for the outside world when we are being sheltered from it constantly? In the very place which is supposed to prepare us for it no less?

Must we be looked upon as 1200 insolents with no control over ourselves? There must be another way in which to enforce rules without making students feel as though they are in elementary school being chastised for eating a glue stick.

We are young adults who would like to be treated respectfully as intelligent beings who are afforded privileges due to them.

Youth shouldn’t mean second class citizenship. We are young and have a lot to learn still about life, but administrators and para professionals would probably find it more productive to treat students as they wish to be treated. We aren’t going to respect rules if they are being enforced with disdain.

Being treated as inferior human beings by the same people who are supposed to be setting good examples for us will never help us to learn that people should be treated equally no mater their age, color or religion.

And most importantly, to follow all the rules they enforce.

11

Thursday, January 31, 2007

The Squall

editorial

THE

Squall EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Austin Shapiro

MANAGING EDITOR: Scott Crompton

EDITORS DESIGN: Candice Wiesner FEATURES: Katie Johnson ENTERTAINMENT: Ryan Aliapoulious NEWS: Heather Siller OPINIONS: David Pisano PHOTO: Jeff Leonard SPORTS: Charlie Pettit HEALTH & TRENDS: Celia Kuzon uPAGE: Hunter Lyons COPY: Maria Brundage & Michelle Chirby

DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Chas Sloan, Val Argiero, Nora Green, Leah Gibson, Maria Brundage

the all

MANAGERS

SQUALL call:

ADVERTISMENT: Caitlin Henderson, Brittany Martini CONTEST: Nic Miller, Kyle Boren, Jake LaRosa

STAFF WRITERS Sarah Akbarifard, Kyle Boren, Maria Brundage, Kevin Butler, Michelle Chirby, Shantal Daratony, Alex Everard, Aaron Gilman, Caitlin Henderson, Matthew Kaas, Jake Larosa, Pat Ledwidge, Brittany Martini, Erin MacAweeny, Ian McCarthy, Kurt Miller, Nic Miller, Brent Muse, Morgan Quist, Lisa Richie, Joe Sayre, Olivia Scheffler, Kaitlyn Shepard, Alexis Sobczak, Karly Stanislovaitis, Allison Sutter, Emily VanDusen, Kevin Yarows.

CARTOONIST David Bays

ADVISER Rod Satterthwaite

POLICY: The Squall is distributed monthly to 1,192 students and is estimated to reach 4,786 people with each issue.

The Squall is printed by Owosso Argus Press in Owosso, MI and produced by the first and second hour newspaper class.

TALK BACK: The Squall is an open forum for student expression. It accepts letters to the editor from any and all concerned parties. The Squall reserves the right to screen and/or edit any and all letters for inappropriate content and length.

All letters must be signed. Requests to remain anonymous will be considered by the editorial board.

AWARDS/ MEMBERSHIPS: Members of MIPA since 1999 • Michigan Interscholastic Press Association Members of NSPA since 2001 • National Scholastic Press Association Members of CSPA since 2001 • Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Cartoon by David Bays

Naming rights could bring profit Recently the Board of Education has discussed the idea of allowing businesses or individuals to purchase rights to tag their names to parts of buildings, such as the center for performing arts, the gym and the cafeteria. This could allow these businesses or individuals to promote what they want, their name or product.

Some see the selling of these naming rights as a way to provide the district with money, as the businesses or individuals are paying to advertise their product or name within the district. It has proven to work in the collegiate and professional sports world to help gain the sports franchises some money. All around us are stadiums whose names have been sold. The Lions rumble at Ford Field, the Tigers battle at Comerica Park. Even historic venues have their rights sold. The Chicago Cubs play ball at historic Wrigley Field.

The Squall sees no problem with selling these naming rights to a business, as long as the names of the businesses are appropriate and the products being advertised are legal for minors. As the high

school is made up of primarily minors, it would not be wise to advertise products such as alcohol, cigarettes and other products that are illegal for them.

Some see the selling of naming rights as leading to a district filled with advertisements that may get distracting to the learning process. They argue too many ads could cause the buildings within the district to lose the feel of a school. Students may feel pressured or overwhelmed by all the advertisements within the building.

Schools are supposed to be a neutral learning place, not a place riddled with ads. It maybe hard to be able to take a test properly and to the best of your abilities if your attention is being grabbed by a neon colored, signed poster designed to catch your eye.

For example, instead of the football team playing at Al Ritt Field, the games could be played on a field tagged with the name of a company or product. It would not be as fun if the teams were playing on Pfizer Field. Instead of playing on a field dedicated to a man for his work in Dexter, the team

Pro Brittany Spears Britney Spears is one of the greatest hip-hop stars of this millennium, sweeping the hip-hop world off its feet with her new style, bringing many great new musical masterpieces.

The first was her debut album “Baby One More Time”, whose hit single “Baby One More Time” topped the Billboard 100 at number one and sold over 25 million copies. Was there any doubt that she was the best then?

Even so, with her second album she did it one more time and admitted it with, “Oops I Did It Again”, which sold about one and a half million copies in the first week, breaking the record for most records sold in the first week and going on to sell 20 million copies worldwide.

With this, she proved it. She is the best. She surpasses any other artist on her way to greatness.

Jake LaRosa contest manager

could be playing on one dedicated to a pharmaceutical company.

This could cause it to feel like our football team was playing in a large professional stadium, and games could lose the feeling of a small town coming together at high school sports events to support its home football team. After all, the community comes together to support the Dexter Dreadnaughts, not a major corporation.

But every little bit of money will help this district in these tough economic times. Selling naming rights is one way to gain a little profit, even if it requires losing a traditional name such as “The Center for Performing Arts.” Keeping the traditional name of something may need to be pushed to the back of the list of priorities.

Earning money is more important to this district than keeping an original name. This money could be used towards other things such as books or classroom supplies.

It is just a name, while money can be used for things that can actually benefit students.

Matt Kaas staff writer

She followed this amazing album with her third album, “Britney,” which only sold 13 million copies worldwide, but Spears gained credit for being a co-author on four songs on the album. So not only can she sing a beautiful song, she can write one too.

Later, her fourth album “In the Zone”, released the breakout single “Toxic,” which yielded Spears her first Grammy Award.

She released her most recent album, ‘Blackout,’ on Oct. 30, which contained the hit single Gimme More. Rolling Stone magazine said, “But what’s notable is that ‘Blackout’ is the first time in her career that she’s voiced any real thoughts about her life.”

Spears has sold more than 83 million copies worldwide, so is there any doubt she is the best in the world?

Con Brittany Spears

As we have learned from transsexual YouTube sensation Chris Crocker (Leave Britney Alone!), It is not “professional to publicly bash someone when they are going through a rough time.”

Lucky for Mr. Crocker and me, I’m not a professional journalist which gives me great pleasure to divulge the following.

You would have to be completely void of media access not to know the once hugely successful teen pop icon Britney Spears has taken several turns for the worse.

Amid all the recent commotion, most people seem to forget that all of this started with her infamous tonsil-hockey match with Madonna in 2002. It was that very moment where she lost her teen innocence and became a media frenzy.

Shortly after that she released her video for her then #1 song “Toxic”. This video sparked controversy due to its raunchy content. If you’ve never seen the video, you’re not missing too much. In a nut shell, the plot line is set in a futuristic jet liner where Britney feels up every random guy who seems to be passing by.

Most likely one of the worst decisions Britney has ever made is to marry Hollywood’s trailer trash Kevin Federline. What she saw in an unemployed wannabe rapper who hasn’t taken a show in three years, I still fail to see.

Nonetheless they tied the knot, had two kids and lived happily ever after. Or did they? No. They got divorced, and she lost custody of her kids.

Britney’s life has gone completely out of control. She needs to grow up and realize that having kids is a responsibility.

12

Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Squall

photostory Hardcore Powderpuff: Over winter break seniors Peter Burgett, Paige Sheats, JJ Jenkins, and Ellen Riehle play a snowy game of powderpuff football at Al Ritt Field.

Jenkins took a monstrous hit from Sheats as they tackled each other in the deep snow.

Hitting the Slopes: Sophomore Remmington Sanders snowboards at Crystal Mt. “I was racing boarder cross, I got first that run and qualified for the finals,” Sanders said.

Left: Junior Kyle Steiner throws a snowball at senior Jessie Reeves. “She hit my car,” Steiner said of why he threw a snowball at Reeves.

Left: Seniors Betsy Eber and Chelsea Reardon shove an unwieldy car out of the

Right: Junior Chris Parr catches air on his Polaris 500 XCSP snowmobile. Parr and his family were riding in Grand Marais over winter break.

Frolicking in Flakes Students enjoy their winter over break

Ian McCarthy staff writer

This time of year, some people long for summer when itʼs warm and everyone is outside.

But others like sophomore Jordan Jack love the cold. Jack said he loves to go outside when itʼs 25 degrees to enjoy his favorite season.

And he said he tries to make the most of winter, as one of his favorite things to do is snowboarding.

Jack also said he enjoys the most popular mountain in the area Mt. Brighton . “ I like to snowboard in the winter, and I also like to make snowmen even though I

havenʼt gotten to make any yet this year,” he said.

But Jack said the lack of consistent snow affects when he can snowboard. “It has been quite lacking this year, and it is disturbing me very much,” he said. We have gotten a couple big snows this year, but it seems to melt so quickly I canʼt enjoy it for very long.”

Jack is still getting out and practicing this year though.

The weather is finally getting colder but the affects of the warmth have already played a big role in winter. “I feel quite devastated in our lack of precipitation and hopefully it will not proceed to be like

this,” Jack said.

Snowboarding season is still nowhere near over though. According to Jack, itʼs usually not over until early April.

The weather this winter has been very unpredictable with one foot snow storms and 30 degree weather one week, and 64 degrees and people were wearing shorts the next.

Still, Jack has hopes for the rest of the snowboarding season.

“This year has not been so well, but I toughed it out, and Iʼm looking forward to the rest of the season,” he said. “Hopefully the snow unicorn goddess will grant me the gift of snow.”

Photos by Jeff Leonard, Leah Gibson, William Charles Sloan, Mike Parr

Below: This snow garden decoration sits in junior Chas Sloan’s backyard. “We just always had it there,” Sloan said.